In honor of the Wellsville-Middletown High School graduating class of 2022, Brooke Reichardt made a special video of all of her classmates.

It took her a year to do it.

The eight-minute video, which was posted on YouTube two days before the graduation ceremony on May 13, included highlights of the seniors attending activities such as prom, a Cardinals game on Sept. 9, a homecoming dance, a FFA banquet and the Class 1 Show-Me Basketball Showdown. Reichardt teamed up with senior classmates Lexi Kemp and Parker Henderson to produce the video.

“It was really exciting going through and making sure that I had a video of everyone and to include everyone,” Reichardt said. “It was very fun to make and collect all of the memories throughout the year so we could go back and watch it.”

Reichardt was one of 25 students who graduated from W-M. The graduation ceremony was held at the high school gymnasium.

During her eight-minute speech, Principal Jessie Cobb said she was proud of the seniors for their hard work and positive attitude during the 2021-22 school year.

“You have shown the outside that the Tiger spirit is an unbreakable spirit,” Cobb said. “In the end, we will always find a way. Never stop believing in yourself. Keep your eyes on the prize.”

Reichardt, who plans to attend Southeast Missouri State University this fall, said she enjoyed her six years as a student at the W-M School District. She lived in Wentzville before she transferred to W-M in seventh grade.

“I enjoyed being a student here,” said Reichardt, who played softball and helped the cheerleading team qualify for state competition twice. “It was a lot better than my other school. I came here in seventh grade. Looking back at all of my previous classmates at my old school, I’m so glad that I have been lucky to come here and graduate. You get more one-on-one experience, which you are able to learn better.”

Darin Clemons, Abbigail Kleinsorge and Lucas Peak made speeches at the ceremony. Clemons was the school’s homecoming king, Kleinsorge was vice-president of the W-M FFA chapter and Peak competed in cross country, track and baseball.

“I liked hearing the speeches from my classmates,” said Sydney Oligschlaeger, who plans to attend the University of Missouri-Kansas City next year. “I haven’t heard any of them before. Some of the parts were very unexpected. I loved Lucas’ speech.”

Peak, who plans to go to the Army next year, talked about his experience of competing with the cross country team. He ran with the Tigers for three years.

“In my sophomore year, I was convinced by coach (John) Slovensky and my baseball coaches to run cross country,” Peak said. “Little did I know that this would change my life for the better.”

The day before graduation, most of the seniors were awarded scholarships for college. Oligschlaeger received nine scholarships, including a Missouri Bright Flight scholarship that is awarded to a student with a high ACT score. Oligschlaeger scored a 32 on her ACT exam.

“I’m going into pharmacy,” Oligschlaeger said. “I’ve been able to get some scholarships to help out with school. I’m in a program that will get me through (college) faster, so I’ve gotten some scholarships through that. That really helped. I was very happy to be able to get the Bright Flight.”

Emma Williams, who hopes to attend the Savannah College of Art & Design in Savannah, Ga., this fall, was the last W-M student to receive a diploma during the ceremony. She said she can’t believe that she is finished with high school.

“You never really see yourself graduating whenever you enter high school,” Williams said. “I didn’t see myself walking on that stage. But it became real.”